For a third straight season, either Austin Prock or Matt Hagan will end up with the Funny Car world championship at this weekend’s 60th annual In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip.
Both are chasing elite territory, as Prock has a chance for back-to-back world championships, while Hagan is after a fifth world title in the loaded Funny Car ranks. A fifth championship would put Hagan with the legendary John Force as the only drivers to win five or more Funny Car titles, while Prock will try to become just the seventh driver in Funny Car history to win back-to-back championships and only the second in the last 23 years.
Prock enters the points-and-a-half weekend with a 101-point lead over Hagan, putting him in an ideal position entering the finale. Should he qualify well and win the opening round, the championship is his, which would cap off an incredible two-year run that has included 17 wins thus far (nine this year) and 22 No. 1 qualifiers in his 12,000-horsepower Cornwell Tools Chevrolet SS.
“It would be huge and it would put me in a pretty elite group of NHRA drivers to win back-to-back championships,” Prock said. “That’s a pretty huge accolade that would really boost my career. But it’s every guy on this team. Every guy but one is the same as last year, so to add that to their résumé would be unbelievable. I’m really proud of the team and the fact that we are even in the talk of becoming two-time world champs is pretty incredible. I thought a lot last week in Las Vegas that this pressure you feel when you’re racing for these championships, it’s a privilege.”
Last season, Antron Brown (Top Fuel), Jack Beckman (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Matt Smith (Pro Stock Motorcycle) won the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals while Brown, Prock (Funny Car), Anderson and Gaige Herrera (Pro Stock Motorcycle) each secured world titles. The 2025 race will again be broadcast on FS1, including eliminations coverage starting at 5 p.m. ET on Sunday, Nov. 16.
It is the last of six races in the Countdown to the Championship and 20 races in the 2025 NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series season. It’s been a rewarding one for Hagan, who has enjoyed a strong playoff run with first-year crew chief Mike Knudsen.
He’s won twice, including the most recent race in Las Vegas, giving the Tony Stewart Racing standout a fighting chance in Pomona in his 12,000-horsepower Direct Connection Dodge//SRT Hellcat. Hagan has won seven times in Pomona – second only to Force’s 17 in Funny Car – and another one would at least make things interesting at the finale.
“Having an opportunity to win the world championship in Pomona is huge,” Hagan said. “We’ve been second in points for a lot of the Countdown and that’s been really impressive. It’s great that we’ve been able to win three races this year.
“To be in contention for a fifth Funny Car world championship is huge. All we can do is show up and try to win the race and hope for the best. To have a shot at it and know it’s points-and-a-half at Pomona is exciting. We can’t ask for much more. We have a lot of growing left to do, but it’s been a very promising season.”
Both will be challenged by another loaded Funny Car field, as 21 cars are entered to compete on the legendary grounds at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip. Prock and Hagan will have to face off against the likes of Ron Capps, Jack Beckman, who won in the spring, Paul Lee, Daniel Wilkerson and Cruz Pedregon.
Prock, though, feels ready and is eager to try and finish the job following his runner-up finish in Las Vegas.
“All we can do is just keep moving forward,” Prock said. “Matt Hagan’s team did an outstanding job (in Vegas). I had a gut feeling rolling in there that morning that we were going to have to go to the finals because Hagan was going to the finals and it worked out just how I thought it would; we just came up short. That was just one of those runs that just wasn’t meant to be. I feel like if we could drag it back up there, it would go right down the racetrack, so I don’t think we need to change our approach or anything.”
Top Fuel’s Doug Kalitta will close out a second title in three years during qualifying, while the event marks the final race for Top Fuel star Brittany Force, who won in Vegas. Others to watch include Tony Stewart, Shawn Langdon and Justin Ashley.
Pro Stock’s Dallas Glenn won in Vegas, extending his lead to a commanding 92 points over teammate and reigning world champ Anderson. Glenn is after his first world title.
Pro Stock Motorcycle teammates Richard Gadson and Gaige Herrera are separated by only 21 points, as points leader Gadson attempts to close out his first championship.
Race fans will also see action in the Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, featuring some of the world’s best drivers, along with the Summit Jr. Drag Racing League Shootout and the LASD Racing exhibition.
This year’s In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals also features a can’t-miss experience for racing and car enthusiasts alike. The Top Eliminator Club offers the best seats in the house, a premium experience and several exclusive benefits at one of the biggest races of the season, including a members-only hospitality center, complimentary food and beverages, members-only souvenir store, exclusive driver appearances, a gift bag, a premium view of the staging lanes and much more.
In Pomona, the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series will feature two qualifying rounds at 12:30 and 3 p.m. PT on Friday, Nov. 14, and the final two rounds of qualifying on Saturday, Nov. 15 at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Final eliminations are scheduled for 11 a.m. PT on Sunday, Nov. 16. Television coverage includes qualifying action on FS1 at 10 a.m. ET on Sunday and then eliminations on FS1 at 5 p.m. ET on Sunday.
To purchase tickets to the 60th annual In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals, fans can visit www.NHRA.com/tickets. All children 12 and under will be admitted free in the general admission area with a paid adult.
This story was originally published on November 12, 2025.
The post Elite Company On The Line For Funny Car’s Austin Prock & Matt Hagan at In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals first appeared on Drag Illustrated.
